Topic: 2025 – Vaccine Access and Distribution
Country: Malaysia
Delegate Name: Ruchi Gupta
Vaccine access and distribution in Malaysia led to over 86% receiving at least one dose and around 84% fully vaccinated, helping reduce severe COVID‑19 cases and deaths. Vaccinated individuals saw much lower ICU admissions (~83% reduction) and death (~88% reduction), showing strong protective impact. Malaysia’s COVID-19 vaccine access and distribution has been positively supported by COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access), Gavi vaccines alliance, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), WHO, and UNICEF. It is important to address as vaccines prevent deadly diseases, many low and middle-income countries may not get enough vaccines without international coordination. It is also important to support national health systems by guiding vaccine delivery, training health workers, and improving infrastructure. Malaysia cares about vaccine distribution to protect its population and reduce spread of diseases. Successful vaccine distribution also lessens the strain on healthcare facilities. Vacation rates are crucial for maintaining social and economic activities. The UN’s COVAX facility ensured equitable global vaccine access while UNICEF, the world’s largest vaccine buyer, led the major supply operation.
The Malaysian government signed agreements with several countries and manufacturers. Malaysia received crucial support and equipment from international partners, such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency and their Trade and Industry. Malaysia (JACTIM), which donated cold chain equipment like freezers and cold boxes to boost storage capacity. Malaysia bought NGO’s, state governments and foreign embassies to assist distribution to hard-to-reach populations of asylum-seekers registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and undocumented migrants.MERCY Malaysia is supporting the Ministry of Health’s vaccination centers in urban and remote areas to improve accessibility. During COVID, Malaysia was primarily focused on its own domestic needs, but it aspired to become a more self-sufficient and potentially contributing country in the future. Malaysia now has high vaccination coverage and a strong distribution system. National Immunization Programme (NIP) provides free child vaccines in Malaysia, ensuring wide access using clinics, mobile teams, and strict safety regulations and has a nationwide delivery system using local clinics and outreach programs for rural areas and improving public education to maintain high coverage. Malaysia adopted Pandemic agreement in the World Health Assembly receiving suitable timely access to vaccines and diagnostic in future pandemics.
The UN initiated campaigns like the “Verified” initiative and also provided communication guidance to help build community trust in vaccines and counter misinformation. Malaysia has also strengthened vaccine safety monitoring through the NPRA, addressed hesitancy by working with religious councils on halal assurance, and expanded data systems like HMIS to track coverage and improve equitable access across the country. Malaysia can improve its everyday vaccine distribution by strengthening logistics, especially in remote areas, through better cold-chain equipment and more mobile clinics. It also needs a national digital vaccination registry and stronger data tools to track coverage and prevent missed or expired doses. Building community trust through local leaders, NGOs, and clear public education can reduce hesitancy, while expanding the role of pharmacists and trained healthcare workers can make vaccines easier to access. Finally, Malaysia should ensure equal access for everyone, including undocumented groups, and consider well-designed incentives or requirements to maintain high vaccination rates. Malaysia can suggest more global funding, better storage and delivery of vaccines, and shared digital tracking. It also supports training health workers, strengthening regional manufacturing hubs, ensuring fair vaccine pricing, and running hesitancy-reduction campaigns, while public health partnerships with faith-based groups, the private sector, and community organizations help spread accurate information and encourage uptake so vaccines reach all populations, including remote and marginalized communities.
